Layered Christmas Flower

The new Layered Christmas Flower die in our chapter 3 2021 collection is a style of die that we have produced in past collections so we thought we would show you how to craft perfectly with this set!

I am here to tell you that it is far simpler than you might think and throughout this blog post I am going to break the process down step by step to ensure you know exactly how to layer this flower up correctly. Hopefully after this the same simple process can be applied to other similar dies that you may have in your collection at home.

You Will Need...

• Sizzix Big Shot Machine (660200) or Sizzix Big Shot Express Machine (660850) or Sizzix Big Shot Foldaway Machine (662220)
• Sizzix Thinlits Die Set - 13 PK Layered Christmas Flower (665342)
• Sizzix Framelits Die Set - 9PK Tags (662838)
• Sizzix Surfacez - Cardstock , 8 1/4" x 11 3/4", 10 Festive Colors, 60 Sheets (663783)
• Sizzix Surfacez - Cardstock, 8 1/4" x 11 3/4", 20 Assorted Colors, 80 Sheets (663007)
• Sizzix Surfacez - The Opulent Cardstock pack, 8 1/4" x 11 3/4", Gold, 50 Sheets (664532)
• Sizzix Making Essential - Adhesive Sheets, 6" x 6", Permanent, 10 Sheets (656802)
• Sizzix Making Essential - Express Glue 120ml (664576)
• Sizzix Making Essential - Permanent Adhesive Roller (663474)
• Sizzix Making Essential - Sequins & Beads, gold, 5PK (663864)
• Sizzix making tool - Curved Fine-Tip Tweezers (664140)
• Sizzix Making tool - Scissors, small (664818)
• Sizzix Effectz - Decorative Foil Sheets, 6 x 6, 10 Gold Sheets (664566)
• String

1. To start off you need three different shades or tones of one colour to create the layers of the petals, in this case I will be using shades of red, therefore I will cut the largest petal element from the Hibiscus coloured Cardstock from the assorted pack, the medium petal element from the Crimson cardstock in the festive pack and the smallest petal element from the Holly Berry cardstock from the festive pack also.

Before you start your crafting make sure to adhere a layer of adhesive sheet to the back of each piece of cardstock. This will make the layering of each element easy and mess free!

2. Once all three petal elements are cut you can peel the adhesive backing off the medium and small petals and layer them onto the large petal. Layer and adhere the medium petal first using the embossing lines as guidelines to help you position the die-cuts and line them up correctly.

3. Cut the centre elements from Matte Gold and Banana Blast cardstock making sure to adhere a layer of adhesive sheet onto the back of the cardstock pieces before cutting.

4. Layer and adhere the centre elements onto the layer flower using the adhesive backing, putting the larger matte gold element down first. Again you can use the embossed lines to help with the positioning.

5. Die -cut the foliage elements from the different shades of the green festive cardstock. Use Sage for the base foliage elements and Mistletoe Green or Fir Tree as the accent foliage elements. Once Again make sure to adhere a layer of adhesive sheet to the back of the cardstock before cutting.

6. Layer and adhere the foliage elements together by removing the adhesive backing and using the embossed lines as guidelines to position the die-cut elements correctly.

7. Trim down a piece of folded white cardstock to create an A5 card base and use the adhesive roller to create a line vertically and horizontally across the card front. This will act as a 'ribbon' once completed so make the cross section slightly off centre.

8. Take a piece of gold decorative foil sheet and place it gold side up on top of the adhesive lines. Apply pressure with your fingers to make sure the foil has attached itself to all of the adhesive. peel the foil sheet away and you should have two gold lines on your card front. If you notice the foil hasn't attached to some areas just press the foil on again and rub with your finger to transfer the foil.

9. Using the Tags Framelits die set, die-cut a medium sized tag from pink fizz cardstock from the festive cardstock pack.

10. Attach a piece of string to the tag.

11. Attach the string to the cross section of the gold foil cross using the adhesive roller making sure the tag is angled slightly in the large, open space on the card front.

12. Layer and adhere the flower and foliage elements that you completed earlier onto your card front focusing around the cross section of the gold foil cross. All elements should have an adhesive sheet backing for you to adhere them to the card front.

13. Attach adhesive sheet to the back of the cardstock and then die-cut the berries from white cardstock and the highlight berry elements from earl grey cardstock. Layer the elements together by removing the adhesive backing.

14. Adhere the berries to the front of your card using the adhesive sheet backing. Position these where you like.

15. Add one last finishing touch by adhering gold sequins to the front of your card using express flue and the curved fine-tip tweezers. Arrange and adhere these as you see fit.

Hopefully you now have all the steps, tips and tricks and knowledge to tackle any layered flower die and have fun recreating this project whether it is for Christmas using the festive colours I have or for another year round occasions that could be easily achieved by changing up the colours.

Make sure to check out the new Layered Christmas Flower in our brand new Chapter 3 2021 collection and share any projects you create with it using the #mymakingstory as I would love to see them!

I will see you all in my next Blog but until then stay safe and keep crafting!